Between books and magic
by shoplifterette
Summary: This is an AU story in which Hermione, Harry and Ron grew up in Tom Riddles time line. No time travel. Post Hogwarts. Pairing: HG/TMR


Disclaimer: All characters that you recognize belong to JKR.

A/N: This is an AU story in which Hermione, Harry and Ron grew up in Tom Riddles time line. No time travel.

_**July 25th, 1948**_

For a summer in the English countryside, the weather was unbearably hot. Even the life in Godric's Hollow went slower as usual. Hermione Granger was glad she was a witch. A simple cooling charm took care of the heat as she sat under the shadowy branches of an old willow. Her friends Harry and Ron were playing Quidditch above her, enjoying the cool breeze of the air while they flew around the property of the Potters. Hermione, being no friend of flying on brooms, chose to remain earthbound, reading a book on magical transformations. The chapter on Animagus transformation was especially interesting, detailing the complicated process one had to undergo if you wanted to become one. Hermione had always been interested in transfiguration. Since her first year at Hogwarts, this had been her favourite subject. Harry and Ron however were more interested in defence against the dark arts. Now, three years after the defeat of Grindelwald by their old transfiguration professor Albus Dumbledore, the two young men were about to start their auror training.

Hermione, who had been offered countless Ministry positions after she finished her last year as top of the class, had decided to take a break after all her studying for the NEWTs. The muggleborn witch wanted to work for a year before she began her university coursework at the Merlin Academy in Essex. She found a simple, rather well-paid job at one of the book stores in Diagon Alley. Flourish and Blotts, her new employer, had always been her favourite store. Ever since she started at Hogwarts, she spend all her allowance from her parents on books she found on the countless shelves of the large, comfortable book store. Harry and Ron had never understood her passion for reading, gently teasing her because of it through all their years at the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

Their seventh year had ended just a few weeks before. Hermione had been head girl during her last year, which had added to her work load. The head boy, Ernie MacMillian, had been a constant thorn in her side, always asking her out as soon as he got the chance. Hermione had declined – every single time. The pompous boy was just to much of an annoyance to her. Harry and Ron however hadn't spent their last year alone. While Harry had started dating Ron's sister, Ginny, the red-head had been dating Lavender Brown, a fellow Gryffindor. Both couples were still seeing each other. Ginny, who hadn't finished her Hogwarts education yet, spent almost all of her free time with her boyfriend. Lavender, who had taken a job at a wizarding spa in Diagon Alley, didn't have as much time for Ron as he would have liked. As a consequence, the young wizard had taken to picking her up from work every single day. Lavender liked the constant attention he was bestowing upon her – a fact that Hermione couldn't quite understand.

Even though most of the women of her time were pretty dependent on their husbands, she had always been fiercely independent. She didn't want to be treated as if she were someone's possession. Her mother and her father, however, were horrified that their only daughter wasn't more interested in marrying a nice, hard-working young man. As they saw it, Hermione, being only eighteen years old, was already well on her way to spinsterhood.

Hermione couldn't care less. After her year long break from studying full time, she wanted to continue her wizarding education. She had already decided to take on arithmancy and transfiguration as her major. Being of age, she ignored her parents whining to find herself a suitable husband to provide for her. She wanted to take control of her own life, and a husband didn't fit into her near future right now. Consequently, she had been the only girl at Hogwarts who hadn't taken the voluntary household spells class. Her female classmates had been appalled with her decision, but Hermione just didn't care – she didn't see herself in the role of the good, dutiful house wife any time soon. One day, she hoped to make a difference in this world. Being muggleborn herself, she wanted to help other people like herself with their adjustment to the wizarding world. Her greatest dream was to become a teacher at Hogwarts one day. To this day, the prestigious wizarding school had only two female staff members – Professor Mayflower in household charms and Professor Turner in herbology. And none of the staff members, as Hermione had found out soon after her start at the school, was muggleborn.

When Harry and Ron landed beside her, Hermione was torn from her musings. Both boys were sweating profusely, but smiling happily. "Hey, Hermione", said Harry while he ran a hand through his messy black hair. "It's almost time for dinner. Do you want to come inside with us? Or do you want us to tell you once it's finished?"

Hermione blinked twice as she looked up, shielding her eyes against the burning sun. "No, no", the young witch said. "I'm ready to go. Otherwise, I might get a serious sunburn."

She loved spending time with Harry and his parents. While she loved the Weasley family too, Molly was sometimes too overbearing, mothering Hermione in a way she found slightly annoying. Lily Potter on the other hand was an independent woman with a great sense of humour. Hermione adored the older witch, seeing her as something of a role model.

The three magicians entered the Potter residence. Inside, it was pleasantly cool. It seemed that Hermione hadn't been the only one who had the brilliant idea of casting a cooling charm. Lily greeted them, smiling. "Hello there, Hermione, Ron, Harry", she greeted them with a friendly wave. With her other hand, she added celery into a huge salad bowl. "It's almost time for dinner. I hope you're staying for dinner?", she asked Ron and Hermione. "But of course", they chorused.

"What are we having for dinner?", the brunette witch asked. Lily Potter diced a block of feta cheese while she answered. "We're having chicken breast with baguette and a salad. A light meal, suitable for the hot weather."

The three friends cheered. "Sounds wonderful, mum", said Harry. He went over to his mum and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure it will be fantastic."

As soon as he spoke, James Potter, Harrys father, apparated into the house. The loud "Crack!" announced his entry, even before he called out his greeting. "Hello Lily, hello Harry. I'm home!" A heartbeat later, he strolled into the kitchen. "Oh, and hello to you, too, Hermione and Ron. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yes, we are", answered the petite witch with the bushy brown hair. "Lily has invited us to stay – and how could we resist her heavenly cooking?"

James laughed. "Too true, too true..." He hugged his wife in greeting and gave her a kiss. After that, he sighed deeply. "I'm glad to be home. It was a busy day at the auror office. There was an incident in London, where a muggleborn wizard was attacked and cursed by a dark wizard. We managed to apprehend him, though, after a chase through half the country. At least we were successful. And the victim is in St. Mungos, recovering from the attack. We'll be able to take his statement tomorrow – right now, he can't even speak."

Harry frowned. "You would think that the wizarding world was safe again, with the defeat of Grindelwald and all of his followers. But it seems that prejudice won't die out. That's exactly why I wanted to become an auror in the first place."

"And a fine choice of career it is, too", said his red-haired mother. "I just wish it was slightly less dangerous. It's bad enough that I have to worry about my husbands safety every day, in just a few weeks, I will have to worry about yours, too!"

Harry gave her a crooked smile and hugged his mother. "Don't worry too much, mum. I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll have Ron to watch my back, too. Nothing will happen to me – I promise."

Lily sighed and washed her hands after she added sliced tomatoes to the salad. She ruffled his black hair affectionately. "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid. I know how reckless you can be."

"I promise, mum", said Harry. "And now enough of this – Hermione, Ron, can you help me set the table?"

"Sure", Hermione answered while she waved her wand at the cupboard containing the plates. She levitated the plates towards the table and lowered them gently while Ron distributed the knives and forks.

Half an hour later, Hermione leaned back in her chair and patted her belly. "I can't eat anymore", she complained. "I'm just to full." Harry and Ron grinned while they helped themselves to another serving. "You barely ate anything", said Ron while chewing noisily on a piece of baguette. "You didn't even get seconds!" Harry laughed. "Hermione reminds me of Ginny. She doesn't eat more than a baby bird either." Ron nodded while Harrys parents watched them, amused. "Mental, that's what girls are. The only one who doesn't worry about her weight is mum. All the other girls and woman I know eat no more than a fairy during dinner."

Hermione huffed. "Stop it with the sexist rubbish you're spreading", she said to Ron, glaring. "Just because I know where my limits are, doesn't mean I'm worried about my figure. If anything, I'd like to gain a few pounds – I'm much to thin anyway."

Lily agreed with her. "Just because the boys can't stop stuffing their mouths until they collapse from sheer exhaustion, doesn't mean that we're shallow like that." Hermione nodded. "Boys", she sighed.

Harry and Ron shared a sceptical look. Mr. Potter snorted. "You clearly haven't learned anything about women yet", the older wizard said conspiratorially. "Never comment on a woman's eating habits. That's a sure way to land yourself in the dog house for a week or two."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not sure I agree with what you are teaching the boys", she said sternly. "Next thing you know, when they are listening to your wisdom when it comes to women, they're looking for some witch who'll clean their dirty socks instead of doing it themselves."

James Potter chortled. "That'd be the day", he said, amused. "I'm sure Ginny would be just delighted if Harry dropped his smelly Quidditch socks on her. And Lavender – she too seems to be the type of girl that'd appreciate that kind of behaviour."

Harry and Ron looked at each other, horrified. "We didn't mean it that way!", said Harry hurriedly. "We're not sexist. We just thought that it's strange that girls eat so little. Right, Ron?"

"Right", said Ron while averting his eyes from the women in the room. "We didn't mean anything by it." After a moment of thinking he added: "And I can clean my socks myself, thank you very much. Even mum doesn't touch them when I'm coming back from the Quidditch field."

Hermione snorted. "I'm sure. Now, could we please change the topic? Smelly socks aren't my favourite thing to talk about when I am still digesting copious amounts of food."

Harry threw her a thankful look. "Right", he said before he cleared his throat. "Now, before we came to the house for dinner, Ron and I were just discussing the Holyhead Harpies. D'you think they'll win the Quidditch league again this year?" Hermione, being used to their endless Quidditch talk, tuned them out instantly.

Two days later, Hermione entered Diagon Alley with a cheerful spring in her step. Today was her first day working for Flourish and Blotts. She looked forward to it – in her opinion, there wasn't a better way to spend her day between rows and rows of books. And she got paid for it, too! Granted, it wasn't much – fifteen galleons a week – but still: If she spend her money carefully, she would be able to afford a small apartment by the end of the month. She couldn't wait to live on her own. Her parents, though she loved them deeply, constantly nagged at her to find a suitable husband. And she wasn't ready for that yet. For the moment, she was content with her life as it was.

She arrived at the book store and entered it. It was still pretty much empty, only two customers were browsing the shelves right now. Hermione went over to the check out counter. Behind it sat a grey-haired witch with thick glasses, her head buried in a book. Hermione recognized her as Mrs. Dale, the owner of the shop.

"Good morning, Mrs. Dale", she greeted her cheerfully. "I'm here for my first shift."

The old woman raised her eyes to Hermione, put her book away and beamed a smile at the younger witch. "Good morning, Hermione. I see you're right on time – wonderful!"

Hermione laughed. "Of course I am on time. It wouldn't make a good impression, me being late at my first day here, wouldn't it?"

Mrs. Dale nodded. "Still, it's good to see young people taking their jobs seriously." She paused for a moment and smiled at her again. "If you're up to it, you could organize the shelves in the front of the shop today. Yesterday, we got a huge shipment of books for the Hogwarts students, and they're not organized yet. Would you mind to do that for me, Hermione?"

The bushy haired witch beamed at her boss. "I would be delighted, Mrs. Dale. Is the order you want me to organize them still the same as it was during my years at Hogwarts?

"But of course", replied Mrs. Dale. "Never change a good system. The way it's supposed to be organized, every student can find their books quickly and efficiently." She pointed at a small shelf to the right. "This shelf, though, is reserved for one book only: The Monster Book of Monsters. If we keep it with the other books, they will be torn apart in no time. I really can't say why Professor Kettleburn uses this book in her curriculum. It's dangerous."

Hermione sighed. "I remember that book. When I first tried to open it, it almost cost me a finger." She eyed the shelf warily. "I'm not to keen on handling it again, though. This book is a menace. I guess I'll put it on its shelf first, so that I've got the worst behind me."

Mrs. Dale nodded. "Good idea. The other books you're going to sort today won't be attacking you – I promise." She smiled at her, her eyes crinkling. "Sure, we've got a few obscure, slightly dark texts in here that might do you harm, but you won't be handling them today. Nobody ever buys something in this section, so it's still pretty much organized."

Mrs. Dale led Hermione to the storeroom, showing her the books she needed to put on the shelves before she went back to the counter. Hermione, being the Gryffindor that she was, levitated her first box to the front of the shop, even though it was shaking aggressively. She conjured up a couple of belts, just to be on the safe side. One after one, she placed the Monster Book of Monsters on the shelf – tied shut securely with a belt, of course. She didn't want any injured youngsters in the shop, after all.

Two hours later, Hermione had moved on to the charms section. Just as she was about to unpack the spell books for the seventh years, she heard the bell in the front of the door ringing, signalling a customer. Hermione ignored it, thinking that Mrs. Dale would take care of the customer. A heart beat later though, a throat was cleared behind her.

She turned around and stared. Right in front of her stood the most beautiful man she'd ever met. He was tall and slim, with wavy black hair and beautiful grey eyes that reminded her of a distant thunderstorm. As she kept on staring, the stranger raised an elegant eyebrow. Hermione blushed, suddenly recognizing the man standing in front of her.

"How can I help you, Mr. Riddle?", she managed to stutter out, clearly embarrassed. The young man frowned.

"How do you know my name?"

Even his voice was beautiful, Hermione thought. "I was a few years behind you at Hogwarts", she explained with flaming cheeks. "You were head boy three years ago, right?"

Riddle seemed amused. "Ah, of course. A fellow student. I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you. What's your name?"

"I'm Hermione Granger", she answered. "I was in Gryffindor, and head girl during my last year at the school."

"Granger...Hmmm...", he said thoughtfully. "I don't recognize your name at all. Never heard of a Granger family before, I have to confess."

Hermione barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "That's because there is none. My parents are muggles."

Tom Riddle looked at her shrewdly. "A muggleborn, you say? How did you make head girl, then? It's incredibly rare to have a muggleborn even as a prefect."

Inwardly, Hermione fumed. "I'll have you know, I was top of my year. I've got "O's" in all of my NEWT subjects. Being muggleborn doesn't change a thing, you know? I'm just as good with magic as every pureblood. And I am proud of being muggleborn."

Riddle quirked an eyebrow, clearly amused. "You certainly are an odd creature", he said, tilting his head to the side inquisitively. "It's rare to find a muggleborn who's actually proud of her heritage." He paused for a moment, thinking. "But if you're so good at magic, why do you work in a book store? Shouldn't you have taken a position in the Ministry if you're so brilliant?"

Hermione put her hands to her hip and glared at him. "For your information, I was accepted at Merlin Academy. I just wanted to take a break from studying full time for a while, that's why I work here. Not that I owe you an explanation, mind you." How dare he!

Tom Riddle smirked at her, clearly enjoying her fury. "Merlin Academy? My, my, aren't we impressive. I didn't even know they accepted women, seeing that it's more usual for them to become house witches after graduation."

He was provoking her deliberately, she was sure of it! Her hair crackled with angry magic. "Just because I'm female doesn't mean that my sole ambition is to clean up after some messy, chauvinist pig!", she exclaimed coldly, barely holding her temper in check. "I'm going to study arithmancy and transfiguration, and not household spells." She paused to throw another glare in his direction. "And what are you doing with your life, Riddle? You were the best student Hogwarts has seen since Albus Dumbledore. Surely that means that you've managed to secure yourself an oh-so-prestigious position in the Ministry?"

Riddle, now grinning openly at her, just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not working for the Ministry – my ambitions are different. I don't want to get stuck with some boring desk job, while there is still so much more to learn about magic. I'm working at Borgin & Burkes, to save money for travelling."

"So you're a shop boy, too?", Hermione mocked. "My, my, what a surprise. The brilliant Tom Riddle, selling dark artefacts to earn a living. I'm sure your dear head of house, Professor Slughorn, would be so very proud."

"I don't care what Slughorn thinks", Riddle hissed, suddenly sounding furious. "I answer to no one!"

Just as Hermione was about to retort, Mrs. Dale appeared around the corner. "How are things going, Hermione?", she asked, eyeing the young man appreciatively. "Do you need any help?"

Tom Riddle smiled charmingly at the older witch. "Oh no, I am sure Ms. Granger here will be more than helpful. I'm just searching for a book. I'm sure someone as _intelligent _at the young woman here will be able to help me out."

"Well, if you're sure...", she trailed off, looking at Hermione inquisitively.

The brunette witch nodded. "It's no problem at all, Mrs. Dale. I'll help Mr. Riddle here to find his book. There's no need for you to waste your precious time on a small matter such as this."

Mrs. Date smiled at her before she turned around and headed back to the counter. Hermione followed her path with her eyes before turning back to Riddle. "As charming as our conversation was, Mr. Riddle, I don't have much time. Tell me which book you are looking for and I'll help you to find it."

Riddle narrowed his eyes, clearly not happy with her bossy tone. After a moment of consideration, he answered her. "I'm looking for 'Darketh Path of Potions' by Gideon Bloodmantle."

Hermione looked at him, surprised. She had heard of that book. "And why would someone like you, a model student, look for something quite so dark? When I discovered that book in the Restricted Section, I was appalled with its contents."

"I just want to study the antidotes", explained Riddle innocently. All to innocently.

Hermione snorted. "Sure, sure", she said, clearly not believing a word he said. "As a matter of fact, we do have a small section of books about dark potions. It's in the back of the shop. Come on, follow me."

She led him to the correct section of Flourish and Blotts and searched through the shelves. A minute later, she found what he was looking for. "Here it is!", she exclaimed and handed him the heavy tome.

Riddle nodded. "Thank you for helping me, Ms. Granger", he said in his most charming voice, flipping through the pages of the ancient book. "I'll be sure to tell the owner how very _helpful_ you were..."

With that, he turned around and stalked off in direction of the check out counter. Hermione stared after him before shaking her head and going back to work.

She wouldn't let some pretentious ass like Riddle ruin her day.


End file.
